DEC trying to get reduced sportsmen license fees in governor's budget

The fishing license fee would drop from $29 to $25 under the DEC's proposal.Michelle Gabel/The Post-Standard

The state Department of Conservation is hoping this week to get a new proposed license fee schedule for hunters, fishermen and trappers into Gov. Cuomo’s budget for the coming year.

A power point presentation on the fee schedule was presented last week by DEC officials to the state’s Conservation Fund Advisory Board, which has been supportive. Information from that presentation was forwarded to The Post-Standard.

As of late Tuesday afternoon, the governor had not given his approval. Emily DeSantis, a DEC spokeswoman, was informed about this story Tuesday afternoon but did not get back to comment.
The goals of the proposal are:
1). Simplify the existing license structure.
2). Foster recruitment and retention of hunters, anglers and trappers, both resident and non-residents.
3). Continue to generate sufficient revenue to sustain fish and wildlife programs.

By eliminating and in some cases reducing certain license fees, the discount previously gained by getting a combination license would be eliminated. Buying the licenses individually would cost the same or be lower.

- Creating a single regular hunting license and dropping the cost from $29 to $22. This new license would include small game, regular season deer, early and regular bear seasons, Suffolk County January firearms season and trapping privileges (with proof of trapper education course). In addition, the license year would change to Sept. 1 to Aug. 31 the following year. Currently, it’s Oct. 1 to Sept. 30.

By starting the license year for hunting on Sept. 1, it would include the early goose, squirrel, early bear and northern zone bow hunting for deer seasons which all begin in September and are presently covered by the previous year’s license.

- The fishing license would drop in price from $29 to $25. Also, the license would be effective from the day it was purchased, as opposed to the current setup where it’s good from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30 the following year. The recreational marine fishing registration would also be valid 365 days from the date of registration.

The regular hunting fee would drop from $29 to $22, and other licenses would be covered, including trapping.Submitted photo

- Non-resident fees would be simplified the same way. There would be no combination licenses.

The DEC’s presentation last week noted there would be no changes to the lifetime sportsmen’s license fees.

Currently, revenue from sportsmen license fees generate about $51 million a year. The proposal would result in projected revenues of $45.8 million a year, according to the DEC’s presentation last week.

This new license fee schedule, if approved, isn’t expected to result in cuts to DEC staff and services because new fees would still bring in more cash than the department is currently spending on fish and wildlife programs. The DEC should finish the current license year with a balance of more than $30 million in the Conservation Fund.